It's Always the Same
by SilentlyRead
Summary: First a shooting then a funeral finally brings Tree Hill together, causing everyone to reflect on those missed moments they let slip past. Slightly AU.
1. Hear You Me

This story is a cooperative effort between NattyMcTasha and I.

**Disclaimer:** We don't own Tyler Hilton's song in the prologue, nor do we own _One Tree Hill_ and it's characters. Nor do we own Peyton's podcast. Nor do we own the short excerpt from _Remember the Titans_.

**Summary:** First a shooting then a funeral finally brings Tree Hill together, causing everyone to reflect on those missed moments they let slip past. Slightly AU.

---**Prologue**---

Well, the bus that picks him up from work is late again

It's delayed on the other side of town

Well the street he's waiting on is kind of lonely

'Cept for an old homeless man on the ground

He wonders what he's done so wrong to lose his job

While the woman he loves is with another man

Although the homeless man is there he knows he's all alone

And he let's off as few tears as he can

All he wants is to be happy

All he wants is a friend

'Cause he's tired of being so lonely all the time

And he thinks that it's the end

Letting go and giving in

One of those games you gotta play

I know love is always a sin

Yea, It's always the same

All he wants is to be happy

All he wants is that friend

'Cause he's tired of being so lonely all the time

And he thinks that it's the end

Letting go and giving in

One of those games you gotta play

I know love is always a sin

Yea, It's always the same

Letting go and giving in

One of those games you gotta play

I know love is always a sin

Yea, It's always the same

It's always the same

**---Chapter 1: Hear You Me---**

"'_In the endless perfection of your absence.' That's a line from a poem by Sharon Olds. I've been thinking that line non-stop. Endless. Perfection. Absence. They're such whole words. I just keep - I don't know, I just keep thinking about death over and over... the line between living here among us and being gone... forever. I just can't get over it, you know? How can you go from something to nothing just like that? When someone is gone, they're gone forever and all you have left is memories to try and recreate that person that used to live and breathe right in front of you._

_It's weird, like when you're in love, all of sudden you're hearing these love songs all like for the first time, you know, like the singer is suddenly just talking to you alone, reading your mind... and when you're grieving it's the same thing. I'm in tune with all the sadness of the universe the universe suddenly. You know, songs find you, poems find you, people find you._

_People say that we don't understand real pain, we're only teenagers; well we're here to say that is so untrue. As teenagers we face more suffering everyday, and than most adults give us credit for. Sometimes it's easier to build shields and exclude others, but before we reach for hate, always, always remember our story._

-------

"Joseph Conrad once said, 'The tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed somber under an overcast sky--seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness.' This very river runs through all of us into our heart carrying all things light and dark, this very river keeps us alive, this very river is the blood in our veins. With every dream, with every hateful moment, with every last word, with every day that goes by we find our hearts slowly being covered by darkness."

A tear slowly rolled down Peyton's cheek as she stared down at the ground. She didn't know where else to look. If she stared ahead at the casket only a few feet in front of her, it would just make it seem all the more real. If she looked at the blonde teenage boy giving the eulogy, again, it would make this all real. She didn't want this to be real. It _couldn't_ be real. She felt someone lean against her and whisper softly into her ear, "Remember, the past is what chains us, the future is what frees us," before placing her hand in his. She mustered up a tight smile and looked over at Jake, who mouthed the words, "We'll be okay."

A few more tears found their way down her cheeks. Right now, things weren't okay. Memories were flooding her mind, drowning much of her hope. She remembered how this tangled web all started. She remembered the day their lives became so interwoven and mixed up, causing trouble at every corner. She remembered the day when the world surrounding Tree Hill shattered, the very day the glass shattered, leaving her without a shield.

-------

"How are you feeling, Ms. Sawyer?"

Peyton's eyes slowly began to open as she heard the voice of a man ringing through her head. She immediately noticed bright, white walls and turned her head in the direction of the voice. She squeezed her eyes shut in hopes that the brightness of the room would go away when she opened her eyes again. It didn't work.

"Where am I?" Peyton replied in a daze, her eyes now attempting to focus on the man standing next to her.

"You're in the hospital, Ms. Sawyer. You were shot in the leg earlier today. Now, while you're awake, I would like to tell you some things. You need to stay off of your leg for a little while, to give it the proper time to heal…" he explained as he looked down at his chart, "and you will also need to take some antibiotics to help clean up any more damage from that wound of yours. Any questions?"

"Um. Well — no, I guess not," she said just as she felt someone else squeeze her hand. Peyton glanced over to her right to find Brooke sitting next to her. Brooke gave her a reassuring smile, but it was evident through Brooke's puffy eyes and lack of make-up, that she had been crying. Peyton began to move her other hand to place over Brooke's, but stopped immediately when her IV began to pull. At that moment, she heard the doctor clear his throat, only now, he was standing near the doorway.

"I also talked to your father about an hour ago. He knows about your current condition and has asked that she," he nodded towards Brooke, "can stay here with you after regular visiting hours." With that said, he walked out of the room, leaving nothing but silence.

"How are you feeling?" Brooke asked after a couple minutes of silence.

"Honestly? Like crap. I'd much rather be in my bedroom right now than staring at these blinding white walls," Peyton sighed and pressed her head back against the pillow.

"Oh Peyton, you won't be in here forever. The doctor says that it will be two days, max. So the day after tomorrow, you're free—"

"To be practically immobile?"

"Well, you get crutches." Brooke didn't know any other way to respond to her best friend's injury. She didn't understand why this all had to happen. And most of all, why did it have to be Peyton? She just wasn't able to make any sense of the day's events. It was just too much to take.

Peyton eyed the crutches, which had already been placed in the corner of the room and groaned.

"I have good news!" Brooke spat out in an attempt to lighten the mood. "You're dad is on his way home right now. He said that he'll be back tomorrow morning."

"Did he say how long he was staying this time?" Peyton was now smiling for the first time.

"No, he didn't mention it."

"Oh…" Peyton's eyes shifted down and suddenly became interested in the linen sheets.

"So these doctors here… can you say 'cute?' Well, excluding your doctor. I don't understand how you happen to get the most unattractive doctor in this hospital," Brooke began, trying to distract Peyton from the rough topic of her dad.

Peyton began to laugh, allowing Brooke to smile and continue. "Oh, I passed this doctor earlier in the hall, who was totally checking me out, by the way, and he had _the_ cutest butt. So I gave him a little wink, I bet that drove him up the wall." Brooke demonstrated her wink to emphasize her story.

"Oh! That reminds me… I called Jake earlier," Brooke added.

Peyton's laughing ceased at Brooke's last comment.

"What?"

"I called Jake to tell him what was going on. I figured that he should know. I only got his voicemail though," Brooke responded with a disappointed look on her normally cheerful face.

Peyton looked back down at her white linen sheets again and a thought occurred to her. She kissed Lucas. She kissed her best friend's boyfriend… _again_. Guilt washed over her as she thought about it. Brooke was doing all of this for her, and once again, she might have ruined their once everlasting friendship.

"Brooke, I kissed Lucas," Peyton blurted out suddenly. Brooke looked up at her and narrowed her eyes.

"What—"

Peyton began to panic. "I don't know why I did it. Really—I just—I don't know. I was losing blood by the second—and I thought for sure that I wasn't going to make it out of there. I felt like I had to do something—and I—I kissed him. It was a total lapse of judgment. Please don't think that I want to be with Lucas—because I don't—and I would never do something like that to you—again. I mean—"

"Peyton, it's okay," Brooke interrupted her and placed her hand on top of Peyton's again.

"Really?" Peyton question skeptically as she surveyed her surroundings. She couldn't get away if she wanted to. It seemed as if she was hooked up to about a million different machines that surrounded her.

"Yeah, I trust you, P Sawyer." This caused Peyton to finally look back at Brooke.

"So, you're not going to hit me in the head with a crutch?"

Brooke began to laugh. "Of course not! I love you, best friend, and like I said, I trust you." She gave Peyton a reassuring smile.

"I love you too, Davis," Peyton replied, feeling relieved that they had finally gotten over their chaotic love triangle. Suddenly, Peyton's eyelids began to feel heavy.

"Okay, I'm gonna go get some food really quick. Maybe check out the gift shop—or the doctors. We'll see which comes first. You okay in here?" Brooke asked as she stood up and grabbed her purse.

Peyton nodded slowly as her eyes began to close. She battled her eyelids in an effort to stay awake. However, she was defeated shortly after she heard the door close behind Brooke. And then there was nothing but silence.

-------

"You call that fashion?"

The room was now a nice amber color, and the glow of the nighttime landscape of Tree Hill shone through the windows. Peyton looked over at her best friend, who was flipping through the pages of the latest _Cosmo_, with her feet propped up on the chair next to her. Brooke heard Peyton stirring and looked over at her.

"Are you talking to yourself?" Peyton asked as she moved her pillows to sit up.

"Oh, you're finally awake, sleepy head," Brooke responded and set her magazine on the table. "It gets boring in here when it's just me."

"You don't have to stay—"

"Don't even finish that sentence," Brooke said and then tossed Peyton's cell phone onto her lap. "Check your messages, Sawyer."

Peyton picked up her phone and opened it to find that she had two voicemail messages. She looked over at Brooke, who shrugged and returned to reading her magazine.

She fingered the familiar buttons of her phone. She listened as the cheery voice said, "You have two new voicemails. Press one to listen." Peyton wonders how could a voice sound so cheery, yet robotic.

Beep. "Hey P. Sawyer, its me Brooke. Right now I'm calling and you're here in the room sleeping like a rock and snoring like a freight train. You really should get that checked out... it could scare a bear. Anyway, on my way to the lunch line, I bumped into this really hot med student and..." Peyton turned to her best friend with her head shaking from laughter. "You called me? Davis, you're nuts!"

Brooke flashed her coquettish, yet innocent smile. Peyton returned her attention back to the phone as the next message started to play.

Beep. "Hey Peyton, it's me Jake. Uh, I don't know what to say, but wow. I mean not wow... what are the right words for a situation like this? I'm at a loss for words. Are you okay? I'm worried about you… Brooke didn't really go in details, but it's been all over the news. I finally found a lead on Nikki, so right now I'm in New York City. I still can't believe it, but New York City... it's really different from the small life of Tree Hill. So anyway I've been thinking about you a lot and I miss you. I actually am staying somewhere so feel free to call this number: (509) 555-0312. I can't wait to hear you voice, I can't believe it's been so long..."

Brooke heard Peyton's cell phone close shut and looked up only to find her best friend battling the tears that were threatening to drop at any given moment. The strange part was that Peyton was actually smiling. It was a smile that Brooke wasn't used to seeing.

"Peyton!—" Brooke said as she got up and sat on the bed next to her, "—come here…" Brooke wrapped her arms around Peyton's slender body.

"What's wrong?"

"Don't worry, I'm happy… I just don't—know what to—do," Peyton replied through sniffles.

"This isn't a reaction to my call… I mean, it was good… but it wasn't tear-worthy."

"No—no… it was Jake…"

Brooke jumped up. "Really?! This is so exciting... better than that sexy med student story I told you about. You know, the one with the really nice legs and—"

"He said that he's worried about me, Brooke. And that he misses me. And that he can't wait to hear from me. I just—I just don't know what to do," Peyton interrupted and then looked down at her hands.

"You're kidding right?" Brooke questioned as she squeezed Peyton's hand and forced eye contact. "Call him, I'm sure he won't mind that it is late. I think I'll take another visit to the Cafeteria. Some of these doctors are foxes. I always wondered why anybody would want to be a nurse, but with these doctors…" Brooke got up and walked over to the door.

"I'm gonna take off, you'll be okay right? And remember to tell Jake that you aren't wearing underwear," Brooke winked at Peyton.

Peyton grabbed the _Cosmo_ from the table next to her and replied: "Don't forget your Cosmo!" just before throwing it, causing Brooke to squeal as she barely dodged the flying magazine. Brooke placed her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out, while Peyton did the same.

"Later, Sawyer!" Brooke said in between laughs as she skipped through the door.

Peyton shook her head at her best friend and reached for her cell phone. She stared at the keypad for a few minutes, debating whether or not she should call. What if it was too late? Or what if calling so soon made her seem needy? Jake was the one who called though… so obviously he wants to talk. But… what would they talk about? Jake was right, it really had been a long time.

"Okay Peyton, you can do this," she said to herself. She slowly punched in the numbers on her phone and paused before pressing the "send" button. She squeezed her eyes shut, pressed the button, and put the phone up to her ear. The phone rang once. Then twice. Then third. Then...

"Hello? Who the heck is calling?" A grumpy voice yelled.

Slightly annoyed, she replied, "Hi, you're not Jake."

"No shit, Sherlock."


	2. Kill the Messenger

Disclaimer: We do not own One Tree Hill or it's only characters, all we do own is the plot we so meticulously created.

**Chapter 2: Kill the Messenger**

"_Okay Peyton, you can do this," she said to herself. She slowly punched in the numbers on her phone and paused before pressing the "send" button. She squeezed her eyes shut, pressed the button, and put the phone up to her ear. The phone rang once. Then twice. Then third. Then..._

"_Hello? Who the heck is calling?" A grumpy voice yelled._

_Slightly annoyed, she replied, "Hi, you're not Jake."_

_"No shit, Sherlock."_

------

"Um, excuse me, do you care to repeat that?"

"No—Shit—Sherlock," the voice repeated slowly.

She could feel her anger rising up, until the point that she snapped. "I don't even know you, but I can say one thing for sure: you're a jerk. Now just tell me, is there someone named Jake there?"

"Maybe there is, maybe there isn't. I guess it's one of those mysteries of life that you have to deal with."

"Are you freaking serious? What is your issue? How hard is it to tell me whether or not a guy named Jake is staying there?" Peyton questioned through clenched teeth. She glared at the wall in front of her in hopes that the source of this infuriating voice would be able to sense her current death glare.

"Oh it's not hard at all, but I don't feel like I have to tell you anything. I mean not with your attitude. It's like you got your panties all bunched up and you're bitching at me."

Suddenly, Peyton heard something shatter in the background, causing her to press the phone closer to her ear.

"Jesus Christ!" the voice yelled. Peyton listened closely as a few seconds of silence slipped by.

"Was that the lamp?" Peyton heard as the voice continued. "Aw come on, man, we just got that fixed!"

"Well, you broke it the last two times," another voice replied.

"That's Jake," Peyton stated after immediately recognizing the second voice. "Give him the phone."

As Jake's eyes began to adjust to the dark room, he realized that someone was on the phone. "Is that for me?" he asked as he skirted around the shattered pieces of the lamp that had once been inconveniently placed next to the door.

"Possibly," Peyton heard the voice reply.

"Is it Peyton?" She could hear Jake's voice becoming louder as he moved closer to the phone. "Give me the phone."

"Hold on a minute. Nobody wakes Keller and gets away with it."

Peyton stared ahead in shock. "Keller? As in Chris Keller?"

"Oh, I'm flattered that you're Keller's groupie and all, but really, this is a little extreme. I'll tell you what, at the next concert, just say you called me and I'll give you a backstage pass," Chris replied with a smirk plastered on his face.

Jake reached out to grab the phone, but Chris pulled away instantly and jumped up from the couch. "Is that Peyton?" Jake asked again, frustrated.

He watched as a cheshire grin spread across Chris' face. "Curly! I'm surprised! I didn't know you had bottled up feelings for me, all you had to do was ask."

"Keller—" Peyton began.

"Ow!" Chris yelled out. "That hurt, man!"

"Keller, give me the damn phone!"

"Why should I?" Chris asked as he backed away from Jake. "I mean, Goldilocks isn't objecting, not since she found out that she's been talking to the one and only Keller."

"You're going to regret this," Jake said as he walked to the opposite side of the room.

"Where are you going?" Chris watched as Jake opened the closet door. "Jake… what are you doing? You aren't—no, don't touch her!"

'_There's a girl there?_' Peyton thought to herself as she placed her hand to her forehead in utter confusion. She just couldn't digest everything that she had been hearing. "What?—Who?" Peyton finally asked.

"Jake, buddy, what are you doing? You're going to put her down, right? Jake, why are you going to the window?" Chris continued his questioning in a hitched voice, ignoring Peyton.

Jake stopped at the window and turned around to face Chris. "What? It's just a guitar," he said as he smiled innocently and unlocked the window.

"Just a guitar?! She's the love of my life! No… you are not doing what I think you're doing. I'm warning you, step away from the window and Keller won't hurt anyone."

Jake opened the window and picked up Chris' beloved guitar. He stared at Chris and held the guitar out of the window and over the bustling street below.

"So—how many stories high are we, again?" Jake inquired as he looked down at the street.

"You're going to regret doing that, Jake," Chris mumbled as he walked off into the darkness of the opposite side of the room, allowing Jake to chuckle slightly and withdraw from the window.

Peyton pulled the phone away from her ear as the sound of clattering and rummaging rang through the speaker. 'What the hell is going on?' Peyton thought. '_Why is Jake in the same room as Chris? What about Nikki and Jenny? And isn't Keller supposed to be on tour?'_ She jumped as she heard something fall to the ground. '_What the hell is he doing, anyway?'_ She heard something slam shut and the sounds of rummaging ceased.

"Keller, why are you holding my guitar?" Peyton heard Jake ask in a panicked tone.

"It's just a guitar, 'Jakie,'" Chris replied sarcastically.

"No—Chris, my grandfather made that for me… that—don't," Jake stammered as he reached for Chris' guitar again.

Chris continued to walk over to the other window and opened it. He held the guitar through the window, as Jake followed suit. "I think we're 34 stories high."

Jake glared in response to Chris' comment. The men continued to stare at each other icily, daring each other to drop their guitars.

Peyton pressed the phone closer to her ear, trying to listen, but finding nothing but silence. "You guys! What is going on?!" She yelled through the phone.

They turned their attention to the phone, which Chris had been holding down at his side.

"Okay," Jake began, "I'll put your guitar down on the floor gently if you do the same."

Chris looked at him skeptically and watched as Jake brought the guitar back through the window, prompting Chris to do the same. Reluctantly, Chris followed Jake's actions and they both set the guitars on the floor.

"And the phone," Jake said as he walked towards Chris, reaching for the phone. Chris set the phone in Jake's hand and picked up his guitar.

"You know, I could have been sleeping right now," Chris said as he laid down on the couch, cradling the guitar in his arms. Jake shook is head at his roommate and took a deep breath before putting the phone up to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello, this is a routine survey for _Thud Magazine_. Would you care to participate?"

"Uh—" Jake's brow furrowed.

"If you were a kitchen utensil, what would you be?"

"Um… a whisk?"

"What Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle do you identify with?"

Jake paused. "Michelangelo."

"Have you ever held a guitar out of a 34-story window?" Peyton smiled, knowing that Jake understood what was going on by now.

"Ha, well, I guess I have, now," he replied, laughing at the previous events.

"Have you ever had a neurotic roommate?"

Jake looked over at the couch, where we spotted Chris Keller's sleeping form. "Yes."

"Why the hell are you in the same room as Chris Keller?"

"I—well, it's sort of complicated. But—not really—see, I got this lead on Nikki. So, I went into a few bars, asking if anyone had seen her. It was getting late, so I asked the bartender if there were any places to stay around here that were cheap. The guy said, 'Ask that,' and pointed at Chris, saying that he knows New York City like the back of his hand. So—long story short—we started playing some gigs together for some much-needed cash—and he found us a place to stay in the mean time," Jake finished and sighed.

"I don't trust him, Jake," Peyton stated as she leaned back against one of the many pillows on her hospital bed.

"Look, I know he's egotistical. And I know about the things that he's done back in Tree Hill… but he's helping me right now," Jake took a deep breath, "He says that he might be able to help me find Jenny."

"Oh," Peyton responded, "it sounds like you guys are friends."

"Yeah… I guess so. He's the only face that I know in New York."

Jake heard Peyton yawning softly through the phone, reminding him of the nights that they used to share during their short time together back in Tree Hill. He smiled to himself and looked over at the clock, which read 1:03 AM.

"Oh, wow, Peyton, it's late. You've been injured, and you really need to get some rest. I'm so sorry to keep you up like this."

"Don't worry about it. Hey… Jake?"

"Yeah?" Jake replied as he walked over to a vacant couch, which served as his bed.

"I miss you."

"I miss you too, Peyt. Let's not let another six months go past before another phone call, all right?"

"All right," Peyton agreed, closing her eyes and smiling.

"Goodnight."

"'Night, Jake." Peyton closed her cell phone and set it on the table next to her. She slumped in her bed and pulled the linen sheet up around her, as if trying to create a shield. She tried to sort over the day's events…and the memories came flooding back.

_It was all supposed to be a normal day…I got up, my dad's gone…walked to class with Brooke. And then we looked up and there was Jimmy standing right on the other side of the doors holding up a gun…not with anger, but terror…he looked lost, confused and scared. I thought maybe if we just look long enough, he'd put down the gun. And then the gun went off…and chaos erupted in the hallways around me, everyone searching for a way out. I staggered toward the library—the closest room I could find._

_I didn't want to look down, I didn't want to find out if it was glass or a bullet that hit me, I just thought it would be best to not know. And all in that moment I heard the school go quiet…and that's when I came to fear the most, what if I die alone, what if I'm left alone in agony? Living life alone is hard enough, but to die alone…is my worst nightmare._

_I had closed my eyes trying to bear the pain, but that voice, the one I've grown to hate: 'People always leave.'_

_And then Lucas had to come in to prove me wrong. Maybe they do comeback, there is always hope. In a way I had a second chance for my mother to come back, but in the form of Ellie, and there was last year—when Jake came back. And in my mind I recalled what I wrote last year—that brief period I had pure bliss—'sometimes they come back.'_

_So it looked like I wouldn't face my worst fear—I wouldn't die alone. I had someone to hold my hand, someone to help erase the pains. And in the last moments when I thought I couldn't survive any longer…I did the unbelievable. I tilted my head to kiss Lucas—as an attempt to feel some love before departing. A chance to feel wanted…I just wanted someone to make me feel that I belonged._

_After that brief moment, I let all the energy I've been fighting to hold—drain and leave me empty. I close my eyes and felt warmth enclose me and everything went black._

_This time I woke up to a cold blinding room, expecting to be alone only to find Brooke right there. I could never ask for a better friend. She's always been there for me through the good and the bad times, she's seen me at my lowest. Brooke knows all the right things to say, and when I needed to be reassured—she was there to take my mind away from my father's absence._

_And in that instant when Brooke told me she called Jake, I felt overwhelmingly guilty that I had kissed her boyfriend. I felt the need to confess—and when I did, it was like a weight off my shoulder. I swear in a flash of a second I saw hurt in her eyes, but her concern for me took over. And let it be…she forgave me without hesitation. And to prove she felt no resentment toward me she left me a message, while I had drifted of to sleep for a second time that day._

_If I thought the first message made me forget the day's event…I had never expected what came next. Jake called—and my heart caught in my throat when I heard his voice. I felt the hot tears flood my face—as he told me he missed me and asked me to call back._

_In those moments that I dialed his number, I felt a tightening in my stomach. And I wondered would he answer? Would he be there? What will he say? And then someone answered and it was not Jake—of all people it was Keller. Chris Keller. I don't think I've been so speechless in my life then I was at that time._

_And to make my confusion worst, Jake and Chris went through an argument. Involving their guitars? I couldn't figure out how this day went from the normal to the unexpected. And most of all I couldn't figure out why in hell Jake was Chris' roommate. Then I finally got to talk to Jake, and I couldn't be even more mystified. Keller was helping Jake find Jenny—I didn't even know Keller had a heart._

Peyton knew she wouldn't be able to answer all her questions; she still needed time. And for the second time that night she yawned. As she pulled the sheets further around herself, she felt her eyes try blink off the in coming sleep. But Peyton eventually lost the battle and fell into a deep slumber.

------

"Holla back if you're awake."

Peyton began to laugh as she turned her head toward her right, where two new visitors were sitting, with their arms wrapped around each other. "Holla," she responded without the enthusiasm that they had been hoping for.

"I thought that we were going to have to leave a post-it note saying that we were here," Haley commented as she pulled herself out of Nathan's grasp and sat up in her chair.

"Yeah, we were beginning to think that visiting hours would be over before you even woke up," Nathan added.

"Ha-ha. You guys are hilarious today, really," Peyton groaned as she sat up in her bed and picked up her cell phone to find out what time it was. 12:36 PM.

"So what's with the late wake-up?" Nathan asked.

"Oh, I… got a call from Jake last night. Well, a message, actually. But then I called him back—and Chris Keller answered…which was really weird, by the way. Apparently, Jake is staying with him now and they're 'friends,'"—Peyton used her fingers for air quotes—"I don't really know what to make of any of it. I mean, Chris is helping Jake find Jenny. It doesn't make sense—"

"Wait—" Haley interrupted, "Pause. Rewind. Subtitles."

"Okay, when I called Jake back last night, Chris Keller picked up the phone. They had this whole argument when Jake tried to get the phone from him. When I talked to Jake, which was definitely like a half hour after I called, he told me what was going on. Apparently, Chris is helping Jake find Jenny in New York. But yeah, now they're living together and doing some gigs."

"He got his guitar back?"

Peyton and Haley looked over at Nathan. "What?" they questioned him.

"Well—," Nathan looked down as he started, "—a while ago, Chris pawned off his guitar… so we could pay for Haley's record…"

He looked up, finding Peyton staring at him with her mouth parted, as if she were dumbfounded. His gaze shifted over to Haley who was looking up at him skeptically.

"What?" Haley inquired in a soft whisper.

"When did Keller become such a saint…" Peyton muttered under her breath.

"I—" Nathan began with his eyes locked on Haley's, but was immediately interrupted with a knock at the door. He stood up, thankful for the interruption, and walked over to the door to open it.

"Nathan, haven't seen you in a while."

A/N: This is an old story we started a long time ago, and we have yet to update it. We hope to finish the story someday, but as of now we're not sure when. Please feel free to leave feedback, both praises and constructive criticism welcomed.


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